The current population of British Kashmiris is estimated over half a
million. Except two hundred families from the Valley of Kashmir the
rest of British Kashmiris originate from what was historically Jammu
Province and since the division of Kashmir State under Indian and
Pakistani occupation in 1947, is called ‘Azad’ Kashmir. Here too the
centre of labour migration from its initiation in the last decades of
19th century had been the Mirpur district. The fact that migration from
Mirpur almost exclusively consisted of the poorest in the State of
Jammu Kashmir combined with the subsequent invasion, division and
occupation of the State Kashmiris started their lives in Britain as the
lowers of the lowest.
For long they not only remained an invisible community in terms of their ‘ethnic’ identity but also experienced acute level
of marginalisation and exclusion in the wider British society as well as within the British South Asians. However, with
fourth generation growing up in Britain, the state and status of British Kashmiris is rapidly changing. While at one level
the segmentation of the traditional social networks closely knitted around tribal and clan (biradries) loyalties and identities
that had for centuries been at the core of the social system in Jammu is evident, at other levels however, the younger
generations of British Kashmiris also becoming more interested and aware of their Kashmiri roots and contrary to the
assimilationist predictions, their links with the land of their origin are also getting stronger. Subsequently, the political
activism of British Kashmiris that has historically been focused on the situation in Kashmir particularly on the ‘liberation’
of Kashmir is also forced to look around here in Britain. The Kashmir National Identity Campaign (KNIC) and ‘Association
of British Kashmiris’ (ABK) are the earliest signs of changing nature of the Kashmiri community and politics in Britain.
While British academics particularly in the fields of ‘Migration, Race and Ethnicities’ are no strangers to the ‘Mirpuris’ and
‘Azad Kashmiris’, little is known about this community outside of the academia. Also with the exceptions of Kalra (2000),
Ali (1999) and Ellis, Ali and Khan (1990) most of the academic studies are anthropological that ignore or give little
attention to the historical and contemporary political context and view British Kashmiris from ‘Azad’ Kashmir as ‘Punjabis’
and Mirpur as an extension of Punjab rather than the home of Dogri and Pahari cultures.
This series of articles written exclusively for Kashmiri Media aims to make Kashmiris in Kashmir as well as in Britain
aware of the history, impacts and potential of the British Kashmiris and how and why ‘Mirpuris’ have become ‘Kashmiris’?
Of course these questions are of great interest for the students of national and ethnic identities, diaspora nationalism,
and transnationalism and specifically of the ‘Kashmiriyat’. For the academic attention Kashmiriyat has attracted from the
Indian and Pakistani academics and political analysts tends to deal with it as a notion refereeing to the Kashiri language,
food and dress confined to the geographical bounds of the Valley. However, as is explained here, there is a political side
to the development of Kashmiri as a political national identity through a popular political struggle that has been diverse
and national in character and evolved in a historical and geographical space that was and remains distinct, separate and
away from the development of ‘Indian’ and later ‘Pakistani’ national identities and political struggles.
However, before embarking on to these debates let us first explore the earliest contacts between Kashmir and Britain.
For as the anti-racist discourse in Britain sums up the process of colonisation, migration and racism ‘we are here
because you were there’. This is metaphorically true for the immigrants from the entire colonised world. However, as we
will see below, for the first Kashmiri in Britain this was also literally true.
British in Kashmir
It appears from Bazmai’s ‘History of Kashmir’ (1967) that the earliest interest British expressed in Kashmir was political
and commercial when Warren Hasting send Mr. Bogle to Tibet in 1774 to explore political and commercial relations
between Kashmir and Tibet. A few years later in 1783 Gorge Forster, an officer of Bangla Army entered Kashmir on his
way to St. Petersburg Russia. His observations of Jammu provide an interesting insight into the enlightenment of the
great Jammu ruler Raja Ranjit Dev (1750-1771).
“Runzeid Dev, the father of the present chief of Jumbo, who deservedly acquired the character of a just and wise ruler,
largely contributed to the wealth of and importance of Jumbo. Perceiving the benefits that would arise from the residence
of Muhammadan merchants, he held out to them many encouragements and observed towards them a disinterested (sic)
and honourable conduct. he avowedly protected and indulged his people, particularly the Muhammadans, to whom he
allotted a certain quarter of the town which was thence denominated Mughalpur; . a mosque was erected in the new
colony . when he was riding the through the their quarter during the time of prayer, he never failed to stop his horse until
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the priest had concluded his ritual exclamation [Azaan]. An administration so munificent and judicious at the same time
that it enforces the respect of the subjects, made Jumbo a place of extensive commercial resort, where all descriptions of
men experienced, in their persons and property, a full security” (p:589)
Then we learn of Vigne who visited Kashmir in 1835 and produced a detailed account of the Shawl industry. In March
1846 British took over the control of Kashmir Valley but instead of annexing it in the British Indian rule transferred ‘for
ever in independent possession to Maharaja Gulab Singh and the heirs male of his body all the hilly or mountainous
country with its dependencies situated to the eastward of the River Ravi.’. This treaty was signed on 16th March 1846.
Subsequently, various studies were carried out of the geography, economy, politics, cultures and ethnic composition of
the State of Jammu and Kashmir by several British military and civil officers. Fredrick Dew, Walter Lawrence and
Alexander Cunningham are some of the most known and frequently quoted ones.
First Kashmiri in Britain
Other regular British visitors to Kashmir were the military and civil officers who either did not want or could not afford trips
back home during summer holidays. For such officers Kashmir became an ideal place to escape the scorching heat of
Indian plains during summer. Tosha Maidan in Kishtwar was one of the popular summer resorts for foreigners. According
to Yousaf Saraf (1977) in the summer of 1833 Colonel Thorpe came here to spend his holidays. More likely while
socialising with the local elites he caught sight of the daughter of Dayim Rathore, the local ruler and forgot everything
else. All we know about this ‘Daughter of Kishtwar’ is that her name of was ‘Jani’ and she was exceptionally beautiful.
The love at first sight blossomed to the point that the Col. found it impossible to leave without Jani. He converted to
Islam, married and brought her with him first to India and then Britain in mid 1830s. Nothing is told about the life of first
‘British Kashmiri’ couple in Britain and how many children they had. However, it appears from whatever information we
have that the story took a dramatic turn when one of their sons Robert Thorpe joined army and went to visit what was
literally his ‘motherland’ in 1860s. By now Kashmir was formed into a princely Kingdom with Maharaja Ranbir Singh on
the throne. While in Kashmir Lt. Robert Thorpe also became involved but not with the beauty but misery of Kashmir. It is
not very clear that how long Thorpe junior lived in Kashmir but from his book ‘Cashmere Missgovernment’ (1870) it
seems that he was in Kashmir till 1868. During his stay he travelled around in Kashmir and collected primary data on
taxation, shawl industry, judiciary and police systems and the actual execution of various laws and polices. He wrote
several articles severely criticising British government for selling Kashmir and Maharaja Government for suppression and
exploitation and argued for annexation of Kashmir in British India. According to father Biscoe who visited Kashmir in 1890
Thorpe was ordered by the Maharaja Government to leave Kashmir and on refusal was bounded with his Khaatt (bed)
and carried out of the Kashmir boundaries by the soldiers. However, he managed to escape and returned to Srinagar but
of no avail as next morning he was found dead after breakfast. According to Saraf it was 22nd November 1868. He is
buried in the British cemetery at Sheikh Bagh Srinagar.
Another mention of a Kashmiri women married to and brought to Britain by British colonial officer has appeared in Rozina
Visram’s Asians in Britain (2002). Identifying various museums with collections from South Asia during the colonial rule
she mentions of Newbridge House Museum, County Dublin in Ireland where belongings of Thomas Alexander Cobb
(1788-1836) are kept ‘who married to Nazir Begum, the daughter of Aziz Jehan of Kashmir’ (p:5).
We also know from historical record that the last Maharaja of Kashmir Hari Singh came to Britain in 1919 as crown prince
and goy caught into some sensational and widely reported scandals (for details see Daily Mail 10 January 2002).
However, none of these fascinating events initiated the labour migration from Kashmir to Britain that later developed into
chain migration and formulated the largest concentration of Kashmiris outside of Kashmir. An analysis of the making of
British Kashmiri community is to be offered in the next issue.
References
1. Ali, N. Ellis, P. and Khan, Z. (1996) ‘ ( The 1990: A Time to Separate the British Punjabi and British Kashmiri identity’ in
Talbot and G. Singh, Punjabi Identity continuity and change, Manohar, New delhi 2. Bazmai, P.N.K., (1962), ‘A History of
Kashmir’, Metropolitan Book Co. Delhi 3. Biscoe, C.E.T. (1971), ‘Kashmir in sunlight and shade’ Sagar, Delhi 4. Courcy,
A.D. (2002) ‘Sexual Scandal, blackmail and the racy Maharaja who sealed the fate of Kashmir’ in Daily Mail January
10th, 2002), London 5. Kalara, V.S. (2002) ‘From Textile Mills to Taxi Ranks’ Ashgate, Aldershot 6. Saraf, Y. (1977),
‘Kashmiris Fight for Freedom’, Feroz Sons, Lahore 7. Thorpe, R. (1870), ‘Cashmere Misgovernment’, Longmans, London
8. Visram, R. (2002) ‘Asians in Britain’ Pluto, London.
*(The author is originally from ‘Mora Loharaan’ in Akalagarh, Mirpur, Azad’ Kashmir and settled in Oldham since 1988. At
present a doctoral student at Manchester University studying transnationalisation
British Kashmiris; Earliest British in Kashmir and Kashmiris in Britain By Shams
Rehman
K ZAMAN MEDIA 